Afghan President Hamid Karzai referred to the killings as a “misunderstanding,” and said Governor Khan had been a close associate of his. The incident occurred at the house of a friend of the governor, who believed his house had been surrounded by Taliban, not Australian troops.

The Australian military says it takes a matter very seriously and has promised to cooperate with Afghan authorities in an investigation of the incident. NATO has also promised to investigate the report. No Australian troops were harmed in the raid.